Class Concepts (Exam 2 Material)
Links *Home page *Media Examples (Exam 2) *Class Concepts (Exam 2) *Class Information *Tips on being a better student Class Concepts Media Effects: History During WW1, Harold Laswell’s dissertation (1927) on propaganda was extremely controversial. He lays out how the word can be as powerful as any bomb, bullet or gun. He says that you can win wars through words. Hitler and his propaganda ministries have ways of presenting information in a way that has a very, almost scary, powerful effect on the audience. The two world wars were major ingredients to create the discipline that words are so powerful. Father Charles Coughlin, an American priest, starts radio broadcasting his sermons. His 45 million listeners in 1930 tuned in to his anti-Jewish and pro-Hitler sermons. This one man made a huge impact on such a large audience just because of his charismatic personality. In response to these bubbling fears of propaganda, the Institute for Propaganda Analysis was developed. in the US. They came up with a list of propaganda techniques. One of these techniques is called Logical Fallacies or Card Stacking. This is when you literally, purposely, abuse logic to make a statement. Can be illogical without being propagandistic; it has to be a deliberate attempt to mislead in order to be considered propaganda. Orson Wells radio drama, called War of The Worlds, attracted 6 million people on CBS radio in 1938. This was presented as a dull classical music station that had interruptions that sounded like newscasters telling people that there were Martians landing in New Jersey to attack the world. People who tuned in late missed the disclaimer at the beginning that it was just a weekly drama, and these people believed that the aliens were actually invading and they were in panic. They fled from their homes and dug themselves into holes. The very first media theory was formed as an effect of all of these above “ingredients,” known as the Hypodermic Needle Theory or the Bullet Theory. It describes media effects as negative things that hit an intended target with a predetermined effect: to enter from the outside and make changes to the inside. This was the birth of media discipline. In the 1940’s, outstanding film director Frank Capra’s, “Why we Fight,” a film serious, raised awareness and support for the war and for young men to join military forces. Afterward there were findings that there was no gained support for the war. While “Why we Fight” was a great film serious and people loved it, it had almost zero effect: proving the Bullet Theory untrue. The Third Person Effect: People do not believe things about themselves (media having bullet effect), but can believe it more about people they know, and even more about general society. Timing is not about how long it lasts, but about when the effect happens. Parasocial interaction: pseudo-relationships with celebrities, we think we know them because we know graphic details about them. We talk about them as if we know them. PROPAGANDA: Has intent, purpose for misleading, manipulate logic for specific cause '-'''Harrold Lasswell-wrote dissertaion which was more like "how to" influence people. Reviewers thought this was dangerous and had it destroyed -Charles Coughlin: Radio Priest that preached anti-jewish and pro-hitler sermons weekly with 45million listeners >significance of propaganda TECHNIQUES: name calling, glittering generality, transfer, testimonial (so-and-so used it and it worked!), plain folks (people just like you!), card stacking (if a=b, b=c, then a must = c, "Colbert video"), band wagoning(everybody's doing it!) -Orson Wells: War of the Worlds radio drama- 6 million people panicked from the messages they misinterpreted. -Bullet Theory/Hypodermic Needle: Messages from media hit intended targets with predetermined outcome. 3rd Person Effect: we judge ourselves smarter than others, others are more gullible than "us" -Frank Capra's "Why we Fight": supposed to encourage men to come fight in WWII using the propaganda theories '''but '''it didn't work-----led to more research on why sometimes media was so influential and other times not. '''Media Effects' 1. Timing: '''timing effect not based on how long something lasts, but about when something makes the effect. there are immediate effects, that happen while be exposed to something (like laughing or feeling fear.) and there are long-tern effects that happen after repeated exposure over time (like developing parasocial relationships. '''2. Type: : Cognitive: '''Factual: learning, immediate. Social reality effects are more suble, long-term effects that form stereotypes and social norms. we are not necessarily aware of the learning of these things. (example is the way that men look at their nails differently than women.) long-term cognitive learning is how we become "socialized." : '''Attitudinal: Not WHAT we see but HOW we see things. The agenda setting theory is that through media exposure, we come to think of certain issues as more important than others. the media sets the agenda. sometimes by what is featured more and sometimes about what is featured first. : Emotional: immediate: thrill, long-term: desensitization : Physiological: automatic physical reactions to things in media like they were real. the more interested you are with a media message, the more easily you will process the information presented. we are unaware of the influence media has on our cognitive processes. : Behavioral: new behaviors that can be attributed to media exposure are more multitasking, carrying a gun, and voting. different behaviors like less TV and more internet and less coffee show talk and more online/phone talking 3. Valence of Effects: categorizing effects as good or bad, positive or negative, depends on whether you are considering individuals alone or society as a whole. at the same time, it typically does not matter whether something is good or bad. 4. Intentionality of Effects: what are people's intentions with media exposures? does anything else happen other than the goal being fulfilled? and is the actual goal fulfilled? Chapter 14: Proactive Perspective on Media Effects The general public usualy takes a reactive perspective toward media; that is, when something happens that generates concern, the public likes to react to the event and debate where the blame should be placed. While a reactive approach is better than none, a proactive perspective would be best. A proactive perspective would mean being concerned about risks and educating people so that the probability of a tragedy occurring is greatly reduced. Proactive means acting on something before there is a chance for harm, while reactive means acting after the fact. The media literate approach is to be proactive toward media effects. Manifest and Process Effects Manifested effects of media are ones that can be easily observed. Whether or not we manifest it, the media is constantly in a process of influencing how we think, feel, and act. These effects are referred to as process effects. There are two different kinds of process effects: Baseline and Fluctuation #'Baseline Effects': Typical degree of risk that continues over time. Can gradually increase or decrease. Some people are conditioned in a way that their baseline is very close to the manifestation level, so it does not take much in media exposure to result in an effect being manifested. Other people have been conditioned in a way that the baseline and manifestation level are far away, so it is unlikely that any one media exposure would result in an observable effect. #'Fluctuation Effects': A brief period of time when risk level spikes dramatically. Rarely will a fluctuation effect be strong enough to break through the manifestation level. 7 Factors that Influence Baseline Each of these 7 types of factors exerts a subtle but continuing influence on a person, and this serves to make a person's baseline relatively fixed and enduring. #'Developmental Maturities': As we mature cognitively, emotionally, and morally, we are able to process more information and to apply more sophisticated skills well. This gives us the capacity to move our baselines away from or closer to the manifestation level for effects we either want to experience or avoid. As for emotional reactions, people at lower levels of maturity are limited in their capacity to control their emotions and behavior. #'Cognitive Abilities': There are four cognitive abilities that are relevant to media literacy: field dependency, type of intelligence, type of thinking, and conceptual differentiation. Each of these has an influence on effecting a person's baseline for media effects. Cognitive abilities are interdependent from developmental potentialities; not everyone who exhibits the same potential has the same level of cognitive abilities. #'Knowledge Structures': People with the most amount of knowledge learn the most from media. People who have a strong knowledge structure on a particular topic are more motivated to acquire more information on various topics and thus seek out media that will provide them with this information. If a person's knowledge structure is composed primarily of information only from the media, then this structure may be dominated by media-stimulated generalizations and internalizations from the media world. As you increase your amount of media intake, such as TV viewing, your perception of the real world is based on the TV world. This is especially true in children who have very little real-world experiences. #'Sociological Factors': The degree of socialization is related to the amount of influence the media will have. It is unlikely that the media will ever be able to exert stong enough influence to cause fluctuation on a person who has been socialized with consistent norms for a long period of time. We learn norms by observing other people through media and in real life. The media's supplied characters that communicate social information to viewers are especially effective on the socialization of children because young people have less experience in real life to couterbalance media portrayals. An example of the way this has the same effect on adults is the way that people who do not have any experience working in the government or being a part of a political party rely on media exclusively to receive all of their information content about politics. #'Lifestyle': People who have an active lifestlye and interact with many people daily are usually less affected by the media. For others, TV and other forms of media become the window on the world as a primary source of information. #'Personal Locus': When a personal locus is strong, a person has more drive to make the most of his or her maturities, skills, knowledge structures, sociological factors, and lifestyle. These people have consrtucted their baselines go conform to their personal goals. #'Media Exposure Habits': While some people are in the habit of surfing the internet and be exposed to a wide range of messages, other people might spend all of their time playing a single violent video game and watching action films. Each has a different tolerance to effectiveness of media messages. 6 Factors that Influence Fluctuation These factors move you on and off your baseline and create a fluctuation effect. #'Content of Messages': What you expose yourself to in a particualr session and whether or not it is what you are used to being exposed to can either move you closer or further from manifestation. #'Context of Portrayals': The meaning of the messages arised from the way they are portrayed, especially social lessons. Audiences will accept the meaning of experiences portrayed by characters on TV. This is why the portrayal of violence in the media is so dangerous. The "good guys" still commit acts of violence, but theirs are justified. The meaning of violence, then, is that if you are a good guy then you can be violent if it is essential to your success. #'Cognitive Complexity of Content': The more demands a narrative makes on the working memory, the less well facts will be comprehended and remembered. For example, children remember news better from TV than from print. Also, people remember information better when emotional cues are used. #'Motivations': When people hace a conscious need for a particular kind of information, they will actively seek out this type of information in the media, and the cance of them learning from this experience is high. #'States': A state is a drive or emotional reaction that occurs in response to some temporary stimuli. #'Degree of Identification': Identification with certain characters is also a key factor in the effects process because people will pay more attention to those characters with whom they can identify. Chapter 15: broadening our perspective on Media Effects and "proactive approach" lecture everything from the chapter was pretty much covered in class in the first lecture about Media Effects ^^ but we were also supposed to read appendix B, which lists all immediate and long term effects of media on individuals and institutions. pgs 403-416 The Proactive Approach: Media effects are like a pimple, they grow until they have effectively manifested and are very evident. There is an influence line, with latent effects or developing effects on one end, and manifested effects on the other. many factors influence effects. some factors increase risk and others decrease risk of an effect being manifested, so we can move in both directions along the influence line. a Risk set Point is where we each sit on the scale before exposure, that shows how suseptable we are to media effects. set points are quite stable and determined by long-term conditioning. you may be closer to or further from manifestation before even being exposed. set points close to manifestation are. vulnerable to media effects while points set far from manifestation are less vulnerable to the effects. it takes more to change a person's behavior than to change his/her emotion. therefore, behavior set points are further from manifestation than cognitive/emotional set points. set points CAN move both ways. set point factors: with direction that it moves set points along influence line developmental maturities <-- cognitive abilities <-- knowledge structures <-- sociology <-- --> lifestyle (media dependency) --> personal locus (strong) <-- Media exposure habits (active) <-- Reality (Chapter 9 and class lecture) Media Equation: '''audience considers what is in the media, equal to what is reality. This is an immediate reaction due to physiological effects of a message. '''Magic Window: '''the belief that media is a window to the real world, especially prevalent belief in children younger than 3. Psychologists believe that young children percieve television as the simple, unvarnished truth of what is happening in the real world. Cognitive development usually changes this, giving children more skepticism between the ages of 3 and 5. Usually by the age of 5, children can distinguish between fiction and news. '''Adult Discount: ability to resist the blur between physical & mediated reality and being more skeptical of the magic window. This is typicall developed by 12 years old, but not in everyone and not for all media content. As we age, we do not automatically acquire the ability to make accurate differentiations between media and reality. Misconceptions of reality are not limited to children. Reality TV: '''Most people believe that reality tv is actually a windown into reality even though these shows have writers, editors, scripts, and plots. reality television cannot be fully credited as being real because of a few reasons. it must be considered that participants' have the intent of being real but may act different because they are being filmed. also, for every 20 minutes of reality tv recorded, only 1 minute is used in the program. how, then, can this be real if it is so highly edited? the producers make the show look interesting and have ways of cutting things and ordering things as to warp what is actually real. '''Judging Reality: '''considered factors Factuality: What actually happened Plausibility: how possible it is for something to actually have happened (considered the factor most often emplyed by people when determining reality of a media message.) Typicality: you can identify because it happens in your own life Emotional Involvement: the degree to which people's feelings and sense of identity are pulled into a message Narrative Consistency: followable Perceptual Persuasiveness: how well it is edited to appear real -we tend not to distinguish between the mediated and real worlds because we spend the time we spend in the mediated worls in order to experience things we are unable to experience in the real world. Not only are some things impossible to experience, but some things are too costly (money and emotionwise). '''Goldilocks Theory: '''also known as the '''next-step reality, this is the idea that in order to be successful with audiences, media content must appear real, but be more interesting than reality. The content should not be too far removed from what is believable (too hot), or too close to reality (too cold), but be just one step away (just right). Media producers start with wha is plausible and take us one step beyond it. Step by step programmers can take audience to an absurd place, like in a farce. Sattire starts with plausible/factual information and ends up in absuridity. (like the colbert report) Advertising starts with typical human need/problam and ends with a simple solution. News focuses on the factual but the unusual. The bottom line is, because we spend so much time in the mediated world, we lose track and get confused with what is real and what is not. so often, media claim to present what is real, "ripped from the headlines," and "based on facts." the question is not HOW REAL are media messages, but rather WHICH elements are real and WHY do you trust the ones you do? Chapter 10: News (lecture material included) The Purpose of News: Accuracy: news sources expected to supply fully accurate information to the public. Responsible: reporting on issues that matter for social responsibility. Objective: the idea that humans can be fully objective is highly problematic, but the idea is that the news will supply unbiased, unflitered news-not opinions. Fair: multiple perspectives are featured, letting audience decide what is right and wrong. Quick: learn what happens when it happens, with the technology we have nowadays, we pretty much learn news in real time. Watchdog: the idea that journalists are out there on patrol for information that we, the public, will find relevant and important to know. If the watchdgos sense anything unsavory they can just "bark" and immediately we will be able to hear them. First draft of History: because the daily reporting of events keeps a record for historians to go back and learn about what major events occured and how things played out over time. No one other than journalists keep such a detailed record of history. Mirror, not create, facts: news reflect back to us, the way it is- does not create the world in which we live. Not about how it should be but about how it IS. Constraints (challenges) on Journalists: 1. Deadlines: media creators always have to meet deadlines, no matter what. this becomes a problem most in print media, because sometimes by the time things are printed, more of a story could have been covered. Journalist are also often rushed and cannot gather all of the necessary and accurate facts. Radio, tv, and internet journalist and media creators have less constrants by deadlines because they can continue to file updates on a story if necessary. Sometimes journalists are forced to make shortcuts- recycle from other sources, only scratch the surface of an event. or rely on public relations and press releases. There are studies that prove that massive portions of newspapers are literally, workd for word, built off of public relations reports. 2. Resources: Equipment, travel space, and time (and the poor use of it). The news business is cutting costs everywhere because of economi downfall, making it hard for journalists to be ideal watchdogs for society. Journalists have to decide which stories to cover based on their resources. New technology developments make resource constraint less because reporters can carry their own recording equipment; large crews are not always necessary any longer. Even when budgets for news businesses increase, the actual news content covered is increased on a much smaller scale. 3.Geographical focus: '''News programs focus on news that applies to the local area. Also, some places are considered more newsworthy than others. '''Framing Influences 1. Geography Each news organization is focused on covering the events in its local so it can report those stories to its local audiences. There appears to be a belief that certain parts of the world are more important (more newsworthy) than others. The news flow of information around the world is dominantly by the Western industrialized countries at the center. Even in the US, the news coverage is not balanced geographically. People who do not live in America do not even know that the small towns and western world of America exist because only big cities like NY, LA, and DC make big news. American news organizations are printing less and less international news with time; the public has to make a real effort to consume news from other countries. An example of why this is a problem is the way that most americans think about Africa. Most of the news that is presented in this country about Africa only covers the terrible tragic events that deal with starving children, AIDs, and genocide. While these things do exist in Africa, no one outside of the counrty is able to see what else goes on there that is outside of this frame. 2. Sources News is shaped by the sources that journalists use to gather information. the major news organizations all use the same sources, many of whom are unnamed, so the same types of stories always get covered. Sources often have incestuous relationship with journalists. this is referred to as the rolodex problem. The lapdog problem: Journalists are supposed to be a watchdog for society, instead they become more like lapdogs to government and big businesses. They violate the distance expected between journalists and their sources; they become too cozy. Public relations issues: the US military budgeted 100 million dollars to influence journalists to frame stories in a way that will be beneficial to the government. 3. The demise of journalistic authority somehow we, as citizens, have lost faith in journalism (rightfully so.) We are becoming equipped with technology to make our own journalism. All media invite us to become citizen journalists. Journalists are losing their grip on controlling the information we consume. We are becoming our own watchdogs. 4. Commercialism This is the strongest influence on news. News organizations are in the business to draw in large audiences. With these audiences, they are able to rent out spaces to advertisers for their news; however, now they must be sure not to offend their advertisers. Journalists will write stories that are not strictly news but that have to value of promoting other commercial products being marketed by the organization that owns the news organization. When the primary goal of a news company is to MAKE MONEY that is an issue because then they only present the news that will SELL to both consumers and advertisers. There are news conglomerates that, of course, will not report on the array things that go on in other companies within the conglomerate. 5. Marketing Perspective and Professional Responsibility If they cover a story too in depth (professional responsibility) then they risk losing the attention of the audience. A marketing strategy is when people cover a less professional story to add some flare to the newscast. * statistical deviance - causes things that are unusual (good or bad) to be considered more newsworthy than commonplace events. * normative deviance - ideas or events that break norms or laws. Matketing perspective VS Professional Responsibility Perspective Companies with a marketing perspective are very obviously trying to make as much money as possible. they put all the really exciting, outgoing, highly sensational stories to be featured first and most frequently. the number one marker of marketing companies is FIRE STORIES. -catch the eye In a professional responsibility company, the stories featured are aimed mainly at informing the public about important events, rather than to make money. The stories usually included are more heavy on politics, pollution, and poverty, and promote social responsibility and less heavy on crime and craziness. -make citizens informed voters. Episodic VS Thematic Framing: Episodic covering of an issue is when an episode of the issue is covered a LOT and given a lot of attention upfront with gory details, but is not given a broader, thematic context. Screaming headlines and blood and guts. Thematic coverage of a story focuses on the big picture: the background and what is to come ahead are included rather than just the episode (the crime or the accident). Context is given to the story, reporters tell why crime rates are so high or what the community officials plan to do to get a problem under control. Gives viewers statistics and concrete information. Not just to draw eyeballs. 6. Ownership and organizational culture There is usually a strong pressure from owners to write stories that people will want to read, thus reinforcing marketing perspectives and less ownership. Larger bureaucracies are more resistant to change, while small organizations quickly adapt. Smaller companies are more flexible and entrepreneurial. Family-owned companies like the NY times are more likely to include influenced opinions than publicly owned companies. Also, it has been proven that women frame stories more socially responsible in small businesses than they do when they work in large businesses. 7. Branding News shows brand their reporters. If the stories are not particularly compelling one evening, audience members will still tune in to see their favorite reporters. News anchors become like celebrities with whom we form parasocial relationships. Of course journalists are human, so they each have thei own personal opinions and perspectives, so when one journalist is so highly publicised, his or her natural framing on an issue is repeated in every story he or she presents. 8. News Values Individualism - audiences like to hear about people who do things their own way, even against powerful odds Moderatism - Fanaticism of any kind arouses skepticism. Social order - Peace and order are valued Leadership - There are high expectations for leaders. Those who are found to be weak, dishonest, or immoral are investigated. Ethnocentrism - Other countries are judged against American standards. Altruistic democracy - There is a democratic ideal of efficient government and participation by all citizens; deviation from this are news. Responsible capitalism - There should be fair competition without unreasonable profits or exploiting workers. Small-town pastoralism - Small towns and rural areas are the font of virtue. 9. Story Formulas Inverted pyramid is a formula that tells the journalist to put the most important information at the beginning of the story, then add the next most important set of information. Entertainment format is a formula use to begin a story with a heated conflict, a gruesome description, or an unusal quote - all designed to grab the reader's attention in an emotional manner. Then the writer moves through the pilot, much like a fictional storyteller would. Simplified Extended Conflict is using an angle of conflict that appears very simple. They believe that a story that has no conflict is complex, the story will not hold the audience's attention. 'Politics Lecture' Media Prominence: Kennedy/Nixon 1960 Very first televised presidential debate. Nixon had a minor surgery before the broadcast and, without makeup, looked sickly on television. He also had a 5-o'clock shadow (he didn't shave), so he wasn't looking his best. Kennedy, on the other hand, looked very professional and made-up on the broadcast. His publicists even matched his outfit to the backdrop and had him looking tan and made-up. The survey right after the presidential debate showed that people who listened to the debate on the radio believed that Nixon won the debate. People who watched the debate on TV said that, hands down, Kennedy won the debate. This event changed politics forever. the start of the media age also shifted from party influence to individual candidate being voted for. this event created a surge in the role of image handlers. Spending: democrats say that the presidency should not go to the candidate that can make the most money during a presidential campaign because that is not a democratic strategy. republicans say that of course raising the most money matters because it measures the support a candidate has. Image Handler: someone who controld how, when, and where a politician (or any public figure) is recorded doing certain things and tries to make them appear most acceptable to the public. Populism: a value handled by publicists (image handlers) that provides "evidence" to voters that candidates are just regular people who do all the same activities as everyone else. working class activities like bowling. sometimes politicians are inable to fit into the frame that has been created for them, and voters can tell how unauthentic they are. george buch looked very comfortable in the back of a pickup truck with a beer, but al gore did not work well as a populist. he ended up rebelling against his image handler. Politics and Advertising: mostly negative attact on other candidates rather than positives about self. so often compaigns play the fear card on voters, hinting that there is danger in voting for the opposing candidate. fear works as the #1 tool to advertise. Politics and News: the shrinking sound byte from 46'' in 1968 to 10' in 1988 allows for things to be more easily taken out of context. sound bye in 2004 was 7.57''. Candidates take up more coverage in news attacking each other. 25% attacking in 1980 to 75% in 2000. Journalists are obsessed with the horserace frame; they tell every political story in regards to who is ahead at the time, in the lead, rather than what each candidate stands for. Media play a significant role in role politics. -they focus on the individual rather than party -include image handlers '(marketing people for politicians-everything presented is planned/manipulated). -Priming: focus on the non-important (Dean scream, falling off stage) instead of what the candidate stands for. makes simple things out to be very important. -More focus on what is "seen" rather than "heard" 'Chapter 11 :Entertainment Content (lecture included) All content is produced using some sort of entertainment formula. There is a general story formula, where the story opens with some sort of problem or conflict, which is then heightened throughout the story. The main characters try to solve the problem, and usually succeed in doing so during the climactic scene. The story ends with a solved or significantly reduces problem. Genres Drama has three basic subgenres: tragedy, mystery and action/horror. Tragedy has characters that are percieved to the audience as noble or good, but have bad thing happen to them due to a fatal flaw of some sort. Viewers can identify with these characters and feel better about themselves. An important plot element of the mystery formula is that part of the plot is missing; something is left for the audience to try to solve. A serious crime usually triggers the stry, and suspense follows the solving of the issue. Action/horror is primarily plot driven as good and evil fight it out in ever deepening conflict. characters are sually stock characters, and can be identified as a hero or a villian usually within the first few seconds of being intruduced to viewers. The plot relies on fast-paced action that maximizes the audience's arousal. Good usually prevails in the end. Comedy is presented with a minor conflict which is handled with verbal deceit or insults, Characters are developed through their unusual foibles or quick wit. The action is neatly resolved at the end of the plot, and the characters end up happy. One subgenre of comedy is comedy of manners, where humor arises out of character quirks that illiminate the craziness of everyday situations. The absuridity of certain social conventions is illustrated, which we find funny because it is so relatable. Romance, of course, begins with a lonely or sad person who the audience can have empathy for. Through hard work and virtue the character finds love-the ultimate goal. Romance is a very successful drama for entertainement content. --Cinderella Effect, Paperback novels Archetypes: there are certain story formulas that are the same even consistently used across cultures. certain themes just compell us as human beings. good vs evil: at the core of human interest goodness being rewarded we know these stories, we've heard them a million times, but we continue to buy into them because they resonate with us. although people would never be expected to list these themes, we recognize and stick to them. Constraints By Medium: obviously media content that is presented through music or through print are limited to either only audio or only visual perception. Because of this, these sorts of media have to be especially vivid for that particular sense as to capture and contain audience attention. Television programming, although presented through audio and video, is the most difficult medium for telling stories because audience has easy access to other programs at just the click of a remote control or mouse, and because with commercial '''interruptions the program has to be especially gripping in order to keep audience around through the breaks. Programs have to be interesting and gripping enough to catch viewers' attention when just flipping through the channels, but also simple enough so that if viewers do stop on the channel they can jump into a program at any point in the plot and be able to understand what is going on. Programmers also try to break typical well-known formulas as to present something new and interesting that viewers will want to watch. Societal Constraints: the public has certain expectations as to what will and what will not be accepted as entertainment. Bad language, sexuality, and violence are what is usually not accepted in large portions to large audiences. Television programmers are usually conservative as not to offend, and in turn lose, viewers. Therefore programs reflect mainstream American values. Acceptability does change over time; there are things that can be seen in public entertainment today that would have been considered absurd decades ago. '''Character Patterns The population of characters on television is much different from the population of people in the real world. The pattern of TV people is different from the pattern of people in the real world. These patterns are measured through demographic balance and stereotypes. If we onl understood the world through how people are prtrayed on tv we would have a warped sense of what the rest of the world was actually like. Demographic Patterns: the same patterns of gender, race and age across most cable channels are typical. Most of the characters are wealthy or ultra-wealthy, with less than 10% lower class. One possible reasoning for this is that these demographics often match the real-life demographics of TV writers and producers. Stereotypical Portrayals: the positive thing about stereotypes is that they are easily recognized by viewers. the negative effect is that they are often inadequate and biased, and can serve as obstacles to rational assesment. Stereotypes are resistant to social change. We stereotype people in real-life meetings, and form expectations for them based on that stereotype. : African American: this stereotype has changed. in situation comedy, african american characters are about as prevalent as they are in the real world. but unlike the real world, discrimination, poverty, and crime do not exist. dramas about black families are rare. blacks usually interact with whites on tv at the work place, and most often have positions of authority. finally, when african american characters are not members od the middle or upper class, they are portrayed as social undesirables rather than as the working poor. : Gender: there are more negative stereotypes about women than about men. there are two primary stereotypes for women: if she is single, she is a sex object, and if she is a mother, she is wise and nurturing. men are usually portrayed with positive characteristics like leadership, bravery and competency with no emotions. The profile of women on tv has not changed much in 50 years. Males also have greater representation than females in children's educational programming, and are more likely to evoke some consequence for their actions, wheras women tend to be ignored altogether. : Occupations: since men and women are actually not equal in the work force in the real world, a lot of what is portrayed on television reflects reality. ethnicity also plays a pivitol role in the depiction of occupations on tv. fewer non-whites than whites are professionals, but proportionally, more non-whites have law enforcement jobs. governmental employees do not fare well in tv stereotyping. Women's jobs are mostly non-exisistant or unknown. : Families: there has been some change since the early days of tv. more fathers are portrayed foolishly, and adult members are more likely to interact more openly with more expression of feeling in spousal relationships. adults are also shown as having more conflict with children as a result, the relational environment has become more conflictual and less cohesive in modern tv families than families from earlier decades. : Elderly Characters: typically not revered or treated with respect. eccentric, infirm, stubborn and foolish. : Body Image: males are presented as lean and muscular. Hollywood creates a standard of beauty that does not exist in the real world. Everyone appears healthy/fit/trim although do not live healthy lifestyles(lack of excersize, alcohol, not eating healthy)-highly unrealistic. there are also only major illnesses, never die of natural causes. Controversial Content Elements altough sex, violence, and bad language go against mainstream american values, programmers use them as they can to capture attention and keep things from becoming "dull." Sex: '''a large number of people are offended by sexual portrayals and nudity on tv. However, producers continually push the line to test the public's tolerance of these portrayals. : Frequency: has been prevalent since the 70's. about 2/3 of all shows contain some sort of seual content and 14% have sexual intercourse. Among the top 20 shows rated by teens 83% contain sexual portrayals, about three scenes per hour overall. these rates continue to increase exponentially. : Consequences: most depictions of sexual activity are not done so for an health education purpose. topics related to sexual risks or responsibilities are increasingly included on television but nonetheless remain infrequent overall. '''Homosexuality: '''gay and lesbian characters were almost nonexistant in the 50's and early 60's. they began to appear in the 70's but were limited to two treatments, either the coming-out story or the "queer monster" story. in the 80's depictions of homosexuality decreased dramatically due to the conservatism of the Reagan years and the growing concern about HIV/AIDS. in the 90's these characters appeared at a greater frequency due to growing stigma attached to antigay prejudice and a growing recognition of a gay consumer market. Ellen Degeneres was the first lesbian lead actress/character on network TV. The first gay male lead (character) was in Will and Grace. '''Violence: '''was the most studies form of content in all the mass media from the advent of television as a mass medium around 1950 to the turn of the century. depending on the definition used, violence is found in 57-80% of all entertainment programs. Verbal violence is even more prevalent on tv than physical violence. Movie previews are mostly violent. Violence is not only studied in frequenct but in context; with much of the violence, the perpetrator is rewarded and the '''victims are rarely shown with much pain and suffering. The level of violence in media is far higher than the real-world levels of violence and crime. Also, there is a more satisfying resolution to crimes in media than there is in the real-world. Language: it appears that "bad" language has broken the barrier on tv and is here to stay. Health some portrayals present a misleading message about health while others are very responsible in presenting healthy messages to viewers. Deceptive Health Patterns: : 1. Most characters appear healthy and thin, although they are not usually shown as having particularly healthy habits (eating, exercising, getting medical checkups). : 2. Although there is a high degree of violence on tv, few characters are portrayed as suffering any harm. : 3. The everyday normal health maladies are rarely shown. Hardly anyone dies a natural death on tv. rarely does a character even wear glasses. : 4. Mental health is portrayed in a dangerously stereotypical manner. on tv, menally ill characters were found to be 10 times more likely to be violent and criminal than non-mentally ill characters, even though in real life mentally ill people are usually passive and withdrawn, frightened, or avoidant. : 5. Doctors are greatly overrepresented on tv compared to their numbers in real life. Healthcare professionals dominate the ranks of professionals, despite the lack of sick people on tv. only criminals and law enforcers are more numerous. Responsible Health Patterns: '''the use of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs has dramatically declined over the years on tv. smoking has almost completely disappeared. alcohol is now often portrayed with negative consequences. Movies do not fare well, though. '''Values examining the arts within a culture is a way to determine the values of that culture. the themes in tv can tell us a lot about american cultural values. TABLE 11.4 ON pAGE 182 (theres no way i'm typing the whole thing out, but it looks important.) character patterns from lecture: 'males outnumber women 3 to 1 on tv, they speak 1.7 minutes for every 1 minute that women speak. behavioral stereotypes: women are either displayed as a sex object or a nurturing mother, their careers are underplayed and typically when they do have careers they are negatively portrayed. straight men are portrayed as having little or no emotions, violent, strong, and independent. there are issues with boys being told they have to act the way men are portrayed through media. gay men are over-sexed, excessively flamboyant, over-the-top, and fashionable on TV. STEREOTYPE. racial stereotypes: 80% of characters are white. non-white characters are becoming more prevalent on tv with time, but still have race-stereotypical roles. african americans are seen most in comedy, or as law enforcement figures in crime fiction. they are mostly not integrated with white people; less than 1% of the interaction between black and white people on tv is outside the workplace. age stereotypes: the young and elderly are underrepresented on tv. 75% of people on tv are between the ages of 20-50, but only 33% of the US population are actually in this age group. marital status: known for about 80% of female characters and 45% of male characters. of the "knowns," 50% of the women are married and about 33% are married. socio-economic status: 50% of people on tv are ULTRA rich. less than 10% are in the lower class occuptions: high status dominates. about 33% are professional/manegerial while only 11% of the US population is actually employed that way. health: almost everyone is fit in trim although 64% of the american population is overweight or obese. people die on tv due to violence or disaster, but hardly ever by natural causes. 2% of people have a physical disability, and 25% wear glasses. 5 times as many medical doctors on tv as in real life. 'GUEST SPEAKER: Questions asked during research: What media do children use? How much time do they spend with each medium? Issues with these questions: Defintion of "media" and "usage" are different for different people. Results: Participants spent 7.5hours with media per day. --Due to multitasking it would actually be 11 hours. >Although purpose of social networking for children/teens is to strengthen offline relationships, at '''1/3 '''have been contacted by a stranger. >Gender Differences: Boys focused more on geographic facts on social networks. Girls focused more on visuals like pictures. Social network sites are considered an important self-advertising platform for both genders Why are children considered a special audience when looking at media effects? : Less world experience : More time spent with various media : Content preferences : Different focus when using technologies than adults: social vs research We watched these two videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SuNx0UrnEo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z54ujM1e_gw Chapter 5: children as a special audience Why treat children as a special audience? Maturation: when we are very young, our minds are not developed enough to allow for an understanding of abstract thoughts. We require cognitive maturtation in order to understand such things. We also mature morally and emotionally. A we reach higher levels of all these types of maturation, er are able to perceive more in media messages. Category:NEWS